The New Five Fold Arc 1
by G-Force2
Summary: Gambit's dark past catches up with him. The X-men have forsaken him to the Antarctic, and the Cajun must face a new evil alone. As events unfold, we find that Gambit plays a bigger role in the marvel-verse than ever thought before. [COMPLETE]
1. Author's Notes

Author Notes  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the marvel-verse. They are property of Marvel. I'm in no way profiting from this story. This is just somethin for the people (assuming someone reads this).  
  
I'm a pretty big fan of Marvel comics. I know a lot about the respective histories of almost all the major characters. The comics tend to get a bit confusing after a while, as they are constantly trying to maintain reader attention. So the storylines of the 90s are pretty tough to follow. I started writing this story a long time ago, and just forgot about it until recently. When I wrote it, the story was in line with what was happening in comics at the time. I have absolutely NO clue what's happening in comics at this point, so I've just decided to post my story as is. If you read it and have any comments for me about that, I'd love to hear from you.  
  
Anyway, about the story, this is one LONG mofo.............but don't get scared, I broke it up into story arcs. There are 4 arcs in total, chronicling the voyage of Gambit through a world that hates him. Pretty impressive eh? The arcs all fall under the story the New Five Fold, but are in different sections. -Arc 1 is called 'The Quest' -Arc 2 is called 'The Formation' -Arc 3 is called 'The Search' -Arc 4 is called 'The Battle'  
  
I hope you know a bit about the Marvel Universe for this story, I make a lot of reference to the X-men, Generation X, Apocalyse, Spiderman, Ghost Rider, the Hulk and each of their respective sets of characters. I've detailed any information I thought was obscure below.  
  
The Marvel-verse, has long held a fondness for alternate timelines, most of them had some major differences, but timelines go on for an undefined amount of time, and therefore, the results of different actions which create alternate timelines, make the amount of timelines existing, permanent. In the following story which takes place in an alternate universe, the only major difference is that, the events of "Onslaught," doesn't change the Hulk, although the events happen in the exact same manner. Also this means that Gambit is not present during Onslaught.  
  
For all those not familiar with what I'm talking about, here's a brief rundown of the Onslaught saga.  
  
Basically, Magneto goes too far one day and rips the adamantium out of Wolverine's body. Thinking he's dead, Professor X finally believes that Magnus has gone too far, and retaliates by shutting down his mind. What he doesn't realize is that in the process, the darker part of Magneto's conscience tags alone with Charles.  
  
Now after the fact, Xavier starts having all of these bad dreams and so forth. Mysteriously a force seems to be attacking the X-men with frightening accuracy. This force turns out to be Onslaught. Onslaught is the name of a villain with the powers of both Xavier and Magneto combined, VERY powerful. This guy proceeds to trash a lot of NYC, and gain control of the Sentinels. Now because of his powers, basically every hero in the marvel-verse is associated with this battle royale. Including the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-man, etc. Anyway, long stories short, they beat him....(I know, big surprise right?), but in the process all of the classic heros, ie. FF and Avengers, get destroyed. After this point, the world is without it's primary heroes.  
  
The important thing to remember, is that for the purposes of this story, all of the heroes (Fantastic Four, Avengers) REALLY are gone, permanently. Now because this is Marvel, and in comics it's next to impossible to keep someone dead, the heroes came back later on. It turns out that Franklin (son of Reed and Sue Richards) created a pocket universe and saved them. I just mentioned that for anyone who was curious, but forget about it for this story. In addition to this, Logan didn't lose his adamantium to Magneto.  
  
Another weird part of the marvel-verse is the appearance of Joseph with the X-men. Now this guy LOOKS like a young magneto and has all of his powers, but apparently he isn't Magneto. Confusing? Tell me about it. Although he can talk the talk, he can't walk the walk. Meaning Joseph's got the powers, but lacks the control of the true Master of Magnetism. Anyway this guy can actually touch Rogue using some sort of Magnetic field around his hand. Rogue and him get a little closer after this particular discovery. Later we find out he's a clone, or some junk like that. Forget about that, for this story, Joseph IS Magneto.  
  
Bishop is an X-man who appeared from an alternate timeline, where Gambit was thought to have assassinated Robert Kelly, creating a chaotic future. Bishop's history in the future has been very limitedly referred to, mainly focussing on his participation in the XSE. However there have been many hints to Bishop's past being associated with an older Gambit. It is believed that Gambit rescued Bishop as a child, and was the one who informed him of his mission in the past.  
  
A final point about the X-men, Sam Gunthrie aka Cannonball the leader of X-Force headed by Cable was with the X-men for a short period of time before he left them to lead the wannabe group. Now Cannonball's origins are pretty plain but his powers are not fully known. When he uses his energy blast technique, he's invulnerable for a short period of time. In addition, it seems he's part of a select group of mutants called the X- ternals believed to be immortal. Gambit's fate was also tied to these individuals, but not as one of them. Gunthrie is for all purposes unaware of his immortality, but in this story let's just say he knows.  
  
The main villain of this story is a little more obscure than the normal X-men villains, so I'll give a brief intro to those who don't know him. Genesis is the name of Apocalypse's protégé. We all know that El Sabb Nurr was defeated by Cable (Nathan Summers) in the future with the help of Cyclops and Phoenix. Unfortunately, this was not the end of his reign. Apocalypse was able to steal Cable's child, and turn him to his own cause. It is from this person, Tyler Summers that Genesis is borne. His powers are varied, the main one being an ability to create holograms of anything he wishes.  
  
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are another set of characters present during this altercation. They are basically the 4 mythological riders, Pestilence, Death, Disease and Plague created by El Sabb Nurr. After Archangel left his service Apocalypse recreated the four riders, they now serve his protégé, Genesis.  
  
Most importantly, I welcome any and all comments from readers. You can tell me ANYTHING you want about my story, as long as you can back it up. 


	2. The Quest pt I

PART I  
  
Gambit's P.O.V.  
  
The cold was getting to him. He could feel, the frost bite eating away at his body, the blood, slowly freezing, his system giving way under the incredible pressure. But what was happening in his body was nothing compared to what was happening to his mind. He could still remember, Rogue, condemning him to the Antarctic, throwing his heart in his face and telling him that he had no one. He had felt anguish for what had happened to him and for the longest time, he hadn't even tried to move. The pain and suffering had led him to finally give up, so he sat there waiting for the death that had followed him, to finally catch him. He had silently hoped that one of the X-men would decide what was happening was wrong and would rescue him, but that was assuming Rogue told anyone. After a while, his survival instinct kicked in. The years that he had spent on the street, struggling for life, told him that he couldn't give in. It demanded of him to live for longer. So slowly, but painfully Gambit pushed forward, he had no doubts that he could escape. Unfortunately to do so he would need to find an area in which there was no wind.  
  
It took him a while to find a cave but when he did, it was like an oasis in a desert. Once he found it, he managed to push forward with renewed strength. He entered the cave and collapsed in exhaustion. He was so tired that he hadn't noticed an increased rumbling, coming from inside the cave until it was too late. After recovering, Remy got up and prepared to leave the cold wasteland. But before he could, the owner of the cave; an angry polar bear, emerged from the darkness slashing and ripping at the intruder. Normally a man like Gambit could have easily taken out such a threat, but in his weakened state he was no match for it. As the bear continued its attack, no one but the great white expanse of snow could hear Remy's cries of agony. Now with blood on it's claws, the bear went in for the kill. ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Remy bolted upright. He had been peacefully sleeping, but sleep was never an easy thing for Gambit these days. After his experience in the Antarctic, Gambit had undergone quite a few changes. He no longer saw life as a game, but rather a never ending collage of pain and suffering that he had to endure. He had long since forgot about God and his beliefs. In fact, the only thing that kept Remy going was the idea that if he was gone many, many people, would pay the price. I's jus' a dream, I's jus' a dream, his mind continued to repeat to itself. But Gambit knew better than that, his dream was real, a memory of his trying experience in the South pole.  
  
It had taken quite a while for Gambit to escape that particular problem, but somehow he had managed to charge his entire body. It had been painful as his frozen skin began to react to the heat. But slowly as his body reacted to it's charging, Remy began to float upwards. He had long ago found out that since any part of his body could release a charge, if he charged his very skin, the resulting warmth equalized the gravity by heating the air molecules around him. Gambit's power wasn't very strong, and to focus it in such a manner, was quite a strain. Once Remy was airborne, it should have been a simple matter to fly out of Antarctica. However, his weakened condition only allowed him to make it to a citadel once inhabited by Magneto.  
  
It was one of Remy's trademark sayings, ne'er show all your cards at once' but over the years, Remy had really begun to enjoy his newfound family. He wasn't sure how badly his secret would affect X-men. Gambit had slowly convinced himself that they would understand, what he had done wasn't on purpose, and that he hadn't a choice in the matter. He hoped the X-men would forgive and forget, as they had done with so many others, but his fantasy world was just that, a fantasy. The X-men had turned him out and left him with nothing, even his Love had shivered in fear at what he was. Yet he convinced himself that he would make it up to her, he would do whatever it would take to make the one woman who had crushed his heart, see that he wasn't the same man he once was.  
  
Gambit waited for over two weeks for even one of the X-men to show up, but his empathic probes (another well hidden card) yielded nothing. When none of them even came into the area, part of Gambit's world crumbled. He had still held a hope that even one of them would take pity on him. But it was not to be; in the end, the only person who even cared enough to try and get him, was the one man he hated the most. Sinister. In the end, Mr. Sinister decided that Remy would still be useful to him and had sent his Marauders. They found him weakened by lack of food, and almost delirious with illusions of himself and the X-men. Gambit had put up a partial fight, and with his last ounce of strength, he managed to kill Scalphunter and a few of the others by charging up the Citadel with his last power. The resulting explosion was enough to bury them and hurt him seriously. Sinister hadn't been very pleased with that little development, but he still got Gambit.  
  
His first order of business was to save the Cajun's life, Gambit had exhausted himself to the point of dying. Sinister administered a strong serum into Remy's system, which gave him an immediate recovery. Sinister claimed that it was basically, a bottled energy booster designed specifically for him.  
  
The Astamina booster@ as Sinister called it, did more than just revive Gambit, in upped his powers to a new level. He gained new abilities that he had never thought possible with his powers. Gambit could now fly with ease and carry several passengers with him if needed. He could project a sphere of reddish energy around himself, that destroyed anything material heading into it, by forcing it backwards in an explosion of molecules. Unfortunately, it was weak to energy blasts, and anything he couldn't normally charge, such as water. Probably the most impressive out of Gambit's new powers was the fact that he could project his kinetic energy (with difficulty), at objects, without coming into contact with him. This meant that he could shoot explosive energy at targets that would explode.  
  
Sinister, had known about the consequences to this little power boost and tried to get Gambit to help him as he used to. Unfortunately for Sinister, Gambit still hoped the X-men would miss him, so he secretly watched the mansion from a camera that Dark Beast had installed there during his stay. However the X-men never even seemed to notice he was gone. The corrupted soul watched as Gambit slowly lost himself to despair with silent humour. When Sinister thought that Gambit had sunk to rock bottom, he asked him to complete a mission. This time Gambit readily agreed, and as soon as he was out of the compound, Gambit split. First he had been elated at his freedom from Sinister, who hadn't come after him. Then it dawned on him that Essex knew the X-men would never accept him into their family, and he was as good as useless. Gambit's spirit was unique though. It never let him sink too low, and after he got over the brooding and constant drinking, Gambit decided to get on with his life. He knew that Rogue had gotten over him, and it was time that he got over her. For almost six months, Remy went to every place imaginable and did anything to give himself a thrill. This reckless way of living, soon got him into lots of trouble and subsequently more adventures, but those stories are for another time. ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
One day while walking down the street, he ran into a crowd of Friends of Humanity members and saw that they were attacking a smaller figure. Gambit leapt to action, only to find that the person had already been beaten to death. Gambit fought for his life and barely escaped the clutches of the Friends of Humanity. It was at this point, that Remy Lebeau died. Gambit decided that his life had been destroyed; no one would care whether he died on the street, no one would even notice. His entire life, he had been a pawn, and he had lost everything because of one man; Sinister.  
  
Over the course of the next year, he tracked Sinister, silently watching. Gambit saw him perform horror after horror, unspeakable acts, so twisted it made Nazism look like a joke. It came as a very small surprise to him that Sinister had known about Gambit trailing him, and snorted at his attempts to follow. The man's arrogance proved to be his undoing. Gambit had not originally wanted Sinister's blood, but he did want the Marauders. Sinister's goons were responsible for the carnage of the Morlock massacres, something Gambit had yet to redeem himself for. Unfortunately, every time he killed a marauder, Sinister would clone another one. Finally Sinister grew tired of Gambit's constant meddling. The corrupted soul had been getting less and less work done, more time spent replacing his henchmen. He decided the Cajun's usefulness had come to an end, and decided to finish it. He setup a fake lab at an abandoned warehouse, and waited.  
  
Gambit snuck into the complex, determined to make the final stand. But Sinister was waiting, and he met Gambit, confronting him with a horde of clones. Gambit hadn't been prepared for this little turn of events. Looking back, he realized that he was foolish to go in such a reckless fashion. Luckily enough to find himself with an emergency exit, created by one of the clones. He prepared to make one final run, flipping out a multitude of playing cards (which were still his favourite weapon), he jumped out of his hiding place and let go with a flurry of cards. They completely destroyed the support beams, and allowed him just enough time to escape. Some well placed explosions later, Sinister was the only one to appear from the fallen complex.  
  
If they had fought on Sinister's terms, and he would have easily beaten Gambit, but Sinister was blinded by his rage. Sinister brought the battle to Gambit on the Astral plane. The fight was fast and furious, Sinister appeared as a human version of himself dressed in black. He challenged Gambit to a fencing match, and the decorum changed to a gym. Sinister was a superior, considering his telepathic skills, and as such was much more adept to battling on the astral plane. He soundly defeated Gambit there with his psi qualities, but Gambit was far from gone.  
  
What Sinister didn't know was that Gambit hadn't really been fighting Sinister, he was merely distracting him. For years, he had lived together with three powerful telepaths. This had given Remy time to build up on his skills, and one of those skills, was fighting on the astral plane. Sinister returned to his body, to find its metallic surface charged up with kinetic energy. Sinister's body was tough, it was created by El Sab Nurr himself, so naturally it could withstand blasts from Cyclops any day of the week. But it could not survive an explosion, of itself at ground-zero. The only thing that kept his body from detonating, was the hand which Remy had left holding on to Sinister's shoulder. Sinister looked upon Gambit with a higher opinion of the Cajun and before dying, he left Gambit with a revelation. It would make the victory a defeat. Gambit remembered that day well, it had changed his life irreversibly.  
  
End Part I 


	3. The Quest pt II

PART II  
  
The conversation as it happened then:  
  
Sinister: Very good my son you have finally fulfilled your true potential. I am very impressed, but heed my words........  
  
Gambit: I'm not your son Essex, jus' 'nother one 'o' yer experiments, you ne'er loved me de way a fader should, you twisted me into yer own little pawn.  
  
Sinister: Call it what you want boy! I don't really care for your opinion right now.......but listen well. You have done what many haven't dreamt of, you have defeated me. As we speak my body is going through its final functions. But I must warn you of a greater evil. You know of my affiliation with Apocalypse, and you know how he twisted my soul, but although you may think he has been subdued, his dream lives on in Genesis. That boy represents a threat to the rest of the world, and should he survive long enough........the world will suffer. Many have thought my experiments to be inhumane, but my cause is just. I must find a specimen capable of defeating Apocalypse, with my death you must carry on my legacy. I know you harbour a distaste for me......but when Genesis surfaces and destroys the world, if you are not ready to act........then the fate of the rest of the planet will be sealed.  
  
Gambit: Sinister, you lyin' piece of trash, you know as well as I......dat you could 'ave ended Genesis's life long ago. After all Nathan, the Summers' son, who defeated Apocalypse can easily take on his son.  
  
Sinister: Gambit you are the fool here. Apocalypse knew of his demise long ago, but refused to believe it and tried to alter the course of history. The Techno-Organic virus which plagues Cable, hinders him from using his powers to their full capability. This was El Sab Nurr's final act, Cable is powerful enough to stop Genesis, but you must find a way to do it. After all do you really think he would kill his own son?  
  
Gambit: He already killed h'is son once. He'll do it 'gain..........an' even if he doesn't, someone else can accomplish dat Sinister. I am not responsible, I'm jus' puttin' an' end ta you and yer Marauders!  
  
Sinister: Don't you mean us, Gambit? After all you were with me almost as long as they were. Nevertheless, look around yourself Gambit! The heroes are dead, Cable will not believe a word you say, the only people left are the X-men, and I sincerely doubt that they will, help someone like you.  
  
Gambit: Dey'll help me Sinister, jus' for the sake of, savin' de world  
  
Sinister: Snap out of that fantasy Lebeau!! The X-men will never believe a word you say, if they even let you speak! Gambit: Whad'dya know Essex? You're dere worst enemy.  
  
Sinister: Yes and now so are you. Doesn't it hurt son, doesn't it hurt to know that their willing to help, Magneto, Mystique, just about anybody who betrayed them, even Creed. But when it came up to you, a fellow X-man, they were more than willing to sentence you to death. Fitting isn't it?  
  
Gambit: Shut-up Sinister! Your family shunned ya. Dey didn't want anyting ta do wit ya, so you created me to make up for de loss. But it didn't work, cuz you couldn't love anytin but yer experiments  
  
Sinister: My family didn't know what I had to do. But the X-men knew what you had to do to sacrifice the Morlocks don't they Gambit? They know exactly what you did to protect them. They know the secrets you hold of the future, you could've stopped it all Gambit. You were a chosen one, you could've stopped Xavier, and countless others, but you didn't. Why? (Particularly gruesome smile) Because of your ethics?  
  
Gambit: Dey don' know what I did fer dem, dey only tink dat I assembled an' led de Marauders, to de Morlocks. I can' tell dem of de future, cause of what might h'appen, you saw what h'appened when I tried. Bishop arrived. Sides, Beast an' de oders will know soon nough, what I could've don'. I couldn't affect dere judgement wit tings dat would h'appen wit my actions. Dey could only see my judgements for what dey were, mistakes.  
  
Sinister: My, my, Gambit you continue to surprise me. Never did I think that you would have such high ethics........but it will all be for nothing. You could have changed it all boy! Why didn't you?  
  
Gambit: Cause I only know one set of events dat will h'appen, if I don' interfere, but if I change it all, den, de outcome might be difficult.  
  
Sinister: And what about your trial? That wasn't planned and you could have easily avoided it, but you did it for yourself didn't you boy? You've always done it for yourself. Look out for number one, right boy? And look what it cost you! Just remember, there is a thin line, between good and evil. Not all people can tell where the line exists. It simply depends on your outlook. Remember Remy, the ends always justify the means.  
  
Gambit: Enough! I don' need ta hear dis any longer, Sinister, tu vas mourrir au'jourdui!  
  
Saying this the Cajun releases Sinister, allowing his lethal energies to explode, taking Sinister with him. The explosion is spectacular, but the words, spoken by Sinister are still etched in his mind, and Gambit knows that he cannot take the chance of Sinister being correct.  
  
End Part II 


	4. The Quest pt III

Part III  
  
Gambit has remained in hiding for two long years, over that time, he killed Sinister, and amassed a great deal of wealth, but his hope in stopping Genesis, still remains in the X-men. Gambit knows the time has come for him to face his fears, but he doubts the reaction he receives, will be worth the trouble. Now as he stands in the darkness, Gambit waits in front of his former home, in front of Xavier's mansion. Several thoughts run through his mind varying from his abandonment, to their reactions to seeing him, to the current condition of the X-men, but ultimately to his disfigured appearance. Gambit feels his rage growing but he keeps it in check. He realizes that his part in the Mutant Massacre forced the X-men to give him what they believed he deserved. He understands that in their place he would probably be the same. But the guilt which he carries around with him is far greater, than any punishment that they can give him. ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Sensing the thoughts that run through Gambit's psyche, Genesis' face contorts into a dark grin. Which then mutates into a grin of Gambit. But this grin is quite unbecoming of the Cajun, because this Gambit is no longer the man we know, but to all others he would seem the same. ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Gambit realizes that he is taking a huge risk simply standing on the grounds, of the X-men, but he knows that if Sinister's words are true he will need all the help he can have. Although he never verified the words of Sinister, Remy knew at that moment that Essex, had actually told the truth, but he's unsure how. His train of thought is broken as, the silent alarm that he has tripped a minute ago, yields results. Looking toward the mansion Gambit sees, several rapidly growing figures heading towards him: Archangel, Storm, Psylocke, Beast, Cannonball, Iceman, Phoenix, Wolverine, Rogue, Joseph, Bishop, Cyclops, and a girl who he has never seen before, with bones sticking out of her body. Both teams blue and gold heading toward him, at that moment Gambit smiles sadly. The last thought running through his head are They managed to stick together, even throughout the hardships  
  
End Part III 


	5. The Quest pt IV

Part IV  
  
Rogue's P.O.V.  
  
"The mutant menace, must be stopped! Even as we speak those genetic impurities are running around, destroying things.......while your children go to school. These freaks must be stopped at all costs! Even Charles Xavier, one of those mutie lovers turned out to be a mutant himself, and he wipes out most of New York, before we find out!!! The freaks can be anywhere and they.....ZZZT...Once again Chance & Tech inc.'s stocks rose to an unbelievable $1103.00 a share. Billionaire Etienne Leblanc, the mysterious owner of CNT, was unavailable for comment. This makes it even more surprising that investors...ZZZT..You said you loved me, unconditionally, but you didn't mean it, and soon I'll make you pay you bi..TTTZZ."  
  
The actor's annoying voice is cut off by Rogue turning the TV off. She had been happily drifting, when she was rudely interrupted by that soap opera. Even all of those years from the trial, Rogue still hadn't recovered from what she had done to the man she loved. She sighed and returned to her day- dreaming. It was times like this when she thought about Gambit, and what could have been. But ever since Magneto had returned, apparently without his memories and calling himself Joseph, she had sought him out for healing. He had helped her immensely, and she fell in love with him, After all, she convinced herself, You couldn't even touch Remy, and besides, he's probably 6 feet under. There was one time where a comment like that would have sent her into depression. However Joseph had talked to her, pointing out many of Remy's faults, and also told her that Gambit had wanted her on a purely physical level. Rogue had felt guilty about what she had done to Remy for months after her return. She would have continued to blame herself, if Joseph hadn't arrived. It was true, the rest of the X-men were a little un-easy around him, but she liked the new master of magnetism and that was all that mattered.  
  
Rogue thought about how the X-men had progressed after Gambit's leave. Onslaught had been a difficult time for them all and only now was the mansion rebuilt. Even then, Operation: Zero Tolerance, had put a big dent in their livelihood. But through it all, they had persevered. In another six months Generation X would graduate and be able to join the X-men in there fight. It had been a trying period for the X-men with the loss of the heroes. They had faced off with more villains than she could count, and Rogue didn't know half of them. She smiled as she thought of all the couples that had been formed, even with their hectic lives. Herself, and Joseph, Warren and Betsy (who had finally recovered from the Crimson Dawn), Bobby and Emma, Sam and Tabitha, Hank and Dr. Reyes, Ororo and Bishop (who had really lightened up after Onslaught), and Logan, who had finally found Silver Fox. It was nice that they could maintain their relationships while fighting for the Dream at the same time. Scott had been worried about Xavier's absence after Onslaught having an affect on the X-men. But if anything, it motivated them to push harder, to prove they could continue when the Dreamer could not.  
  
She remembered the way her friends had looked when she told them of Gambit's betrayal. Storm had literally collapsed into catatonic state when she realized that the one person who had done so much for her, had been the same person who had taken so much away. It had taken months for Storm to recover, and much less even speak of Gambit. Yet when she did, she still believed that he was a good person. The fact that he had assembled the Marauders, was the only thing that had helped Storm get over the abandonment of one of their own. Others had stood up for Gambit, and had wanted to go after him. At the time though, Scott was off duty because of Operation Zero Tolerance, and Storm was too distraught. Even now Rogue was astonished that Jean, Hank, Logan, and most surprisingly Warren, had wanted to go and get Remy. But each had problems to deal with at the time: Beast with the legacy virus, Jean with Scott, and Wolverine had been attacked by Maverick, Silver Fox, and Sabretooth. Finally, Angel was stopped by Psylocke, who wouldn't allow him to go to rescue the Cajun. Through it all Rogue had stood silent, bound by her judgement. By the time she realized her feelings toward Remy and snapped out of her hatred, it was too late.  
  
The team had gotten over Gambit's death disturbingly quickly, and once he was gone, a tension that had always been their, seemed to disappear. Rogue regretted that the X-men had probably gotten along better without Remy. The X-men had come to accept his death. Ironically enough it was when Rogue herself had finally come back to active duty, when they received the transmission. ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
The day they received the transmission:  
  
Bobby: Aww man, since when did Scott, reschedule our practice sessions to 4 am?  
  
Jean: Bobby this is no joke, we've received a message from Gambit  
  
At the mention of his name the X-men fell into a hushed silence, the only thing moving was Rogue, her arms were shaking uncontrollably.  
  
Bobby: What did he send Jean, a letter bomb?  
  
Storm: Bobby! Despite his past, Gambit would never have intentionally harm any of the X-men. If he has sent us a message it is to no doubt notify us of his presence.  
  
Jean: I'm afraid your both right Ororo. In our haste to do the right thing and sentence a teammate to death, (at the mention of that word, Jean casts a harsh glare at Rogue) however right that may seem, we have not ended a threat. Instead, we have given ourselves a new one.  
  
Scott: *Now Jean?*  
  
Jean: *Yes, Scott*  
  
With the flick of a switch, Cyclops activates the message they received, via video-tape. Gambit's face appears, both of his eyes are glowing bright red, so red that you cannot see the black part of his eyes. His face seems to be his traditional poker mask, only this time it looks colder, and harder. Gambit: 'Allo X-men, I c'n imagine dat your jus' delighted ta, see dis cajun boys face, non? If you tink dat I'm gonna hold a grudge 'gainst ya for abandoning me.....you're right! In fact I guarantee dat I'm gonna drop by dere, and kill every one of ya. I'll even do it quick so dat you don' suffer, too long.....after all what're teammates for, neh? But wait, I'm getting ahead 'o' myself here, if you can tel' me why you can let Magneto, Mystique, and even Sabretooth, into your ranks.......yet you try an' kill me, someone who h'elped and fought by you, wit out once betraying your trust, I'll stay away from you.  
  
Wait I forgot! Your de X-men, your better dan us regular people, all you've ever done is.........oh wait, dere's a list isn't dere? As he mentions each crime, one member of the X-men visibly winces:  
  
-destroy a solar system (Phoenix) - join Apocalypse (Angel) - become influenced by de Shadow King (Storm) - have your body manipulated by an evil member of de Hellfire club (Iceman) - Go near insane because you lost the woman ya love (Cyclops) - Kill for a living (Wolverine) - Spy for Mojo, take the X-men through the Siege Perilious, become a Chinese assassin and work for the Mandarin all in one life (Psylocke) - have my dopple-ganger replace me and almost kill de X-men (Beast) - go round accusing everyone 'o' being a traitor (Bishop) -and finally steal de powers of Ms Marvel, try ta kill both of my boyfriends, have Mystique as a mom, an' be a member of de brotherhood of evil mutants (Rogue).  
  
Bottom line X-men, I'll be comin' after ya, an' when I do dere ain't gonna be no X-men no more. By de way in case ya wonderin' how exactly I survived Antarctica, I got one word for ya..............'Sinister.' Expect me an' a couple of yer old friends ta drop by. See ya one last time X-men. ATransmission over@  
  
Rogue remembered how, for almost a complete five minutes, no one reacted. Gambit had never threatened to kill anybody during his stay, and in one transmission he threatened to slay the X-men. Effectively losing all ties with any of the X-men who still believed in him. Cyclops had immediately reacted, and stepped up the security in the mansion. He upgraded the security to its former potential, leaving no stone unturned. He wanted to seal off the area from Gambit. Bobby went around, ranting and raving about how he was right and Gambit was evil. Logan said that he had watched the Cajun's transmission several times, and noticed that although he was angry, Gambit had seemed distracted, and almost pained by what he was saying. Logan never understood why Gambit had done what he did, until later. The truth was that none of the X-men had ever seen Gambit that mad, he was literally shaking with rage. Gambit had basically told them he would be coming by real soon. But he never showed. Nothing even resembling Gambit came by, except for one letter. It had the Cajun's signature and said:  
  
"Your battles have not ended, and you have started a war. Not very smart. Remember, do not come out until you're sure the storm is over; lest you be in the eye of the hurricane." No one had known what it meant, but everyone assumed it was a warning, so Scott had cancelled all of the plans regarding the X-men even leaving the premises. It worked, or so they thought. One week later, the advanced security paid off. Sinister was caught in Hank's lab and had to beat a hasty retreat, but not before he said something memorable. ADamn that Cajun fool, he told you I was coming! I knew he would double cross me. You're lucky he decided to betray me again and warn you of the bomb I was to plant here, but next time you will not be so lucky.@  
  
With that Sinister had left using a tesseract. Whatever doubt Remy's friends had had about whose team he was on, were wiped with what Sinister had told them. Gambit had saved them again, even though none of them were willing to save him. With the additional security they had installed in order to stop the grand thief from entering; they had stopped Sinister, who had assumed Gambit had told them of his plot. Sometimes Rogue wondered what would have happened to the X-men, if Gambit had been sincere about his threats. ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Rogue was jostled out of her reverie, with the computer screaming out "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Mutant on grounds. Level: Alpha. Location: Front lawn." A few seconds after that Rogue's communicator beeped. "X-men assemble outside and prepare to engage the intruder, Cyclops out!"  
  
Rogue quickly dressed, and flew down to the doors. Outside she met the assembled Blue and Gold teams. "Okay team, from what we can tell an Alpha class mutant is standing on our front doorstep. We don't know who they are, or what they want. Treat them as a potential threat until we know otherwise. Attack on either my or Storm's signal, understood? Let's go!" With those words from Cyclops, the full team headed forward.  
  
End Part IV 


	6. The Quest pt V

Part V  
  
Gambit's P.O.V.  
  
Remy sighed, they sure were taking their sweet time getting to his position. Oh well he thought, Dis should be interesting And with that thought, he heard Cyclops say........  
  
Cyclops: You out there. Whoever you are, you are trespassing. Leave now or reveal yourself, you have 10 seconds to comply.  
  
Striding forward from the darkness, Remy said.....  
  
Gambit: Allo dere Cyke, how's everyting goin, hehn? I wonder, did you miss me?  
  
An audible 'gasp' is heard from the X-men as they see their former teammate. Several comments are uttered at the same time.......  
  
Iceman: What do you want? I guess you didn't understand us when we dumped your ass in the South pole.  
  
Archangel: Go back into that hole you crawled into, LeBeau, no one needs you here.  
  
Storm: Gambit? Is that you? My friend it is good to see you, how come you did not notify us of your arrival?  
  
With that comment Storm flies forward before anyone can tell her otherwise, and hugs a surprised Gambit.........  
  
Gambit: Looks like you missed me Stormy, I'm sorry I didn't contact you before. But I didn't know how de oders would react  
  
Storm: It is all right my friend. I am just as happy to know that you are alive. I am disappointed that you felt that you couldn't trust me enough to tell me the truth, but I have forgiven you for your sins. But now that you are back we can catch up on old times. How long are you staying?  
  
Gambit: Not long Stormy. I know when I'm not wanted, an' I only came here cause I need the X-men's help.  
  
While Storm and Gambit talk, they are oblivious to the people around them. Or so Marrow thinks when she screams........  
  
Marrow: You will pay for what you did to my family Gene-traitor!  
  
With that final comment, Marrow leaps forward with one of her bone swords drawn. Just as she is about to plunge her sword into Remy's side, he sticks his hand forward with amazing speed and Marrow is thrown back by an explosive force. Gambit had charged the air molecules around her, literally blowing her out of the way. The force pushes her and she rolls and tumbles for several moments while attempting to regain her footing, she is eventually stopped by a tree. As Marrow gets up, she finds herself the centre of attention, but it is Gambit whose reaction is the loudest.  
  
Gambit: Mon Dieu! It's you de girl I rescued from de tunnels!  
  
Marrow does not want to give up the fight there, but she finds herself gripped by Jean's telekinesis. Slowly she stops struggling, when she sees Gambit's face. It is etched in a look of pure horror............  
  
Marrow: You may have rescued me traitor but you are still responsible for the death of my family, and I'm not going to love you just cause you saved me, it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you!  
  
Gambit: You're right, but it wasn't all my fault, the Marauders, and Sinister, dey're responsible too.  
  
Marrow: Maybe, but I'll kill them soon enough too, I might as well start with you!  
  
Gambit: Dat's where you're wrong, girl, Sinister is dead, and so are de Marauders  
  
Before Marrow can reply, Cyclops jumps to answer.......  
  
Cyclops: Are you saying that Sinister is dead? I find that hard to believe.  
  
Gambit: I tought that you might find it hard to believe dat I killed my fader, but I hoped dat if I did, you would let back on the team, as penance for, my betrayal. But now I see dat I never really had a family here, you only let me come cause I could help. You wouldn't let me into your family, cause of my past, you X-men made me realize that I should never have come.  
  
Gambit touches the scar on his face with his bad hand, he can feel a coughing fit coming on, but his pride prevents him from looking weak in front of his former colleagues.......  
  
Gambit: You want de proof Scott, here's my proof.  
  
With that Remy, pulls out a sack that he has kept hidden in his trench coat, and hurls it towards, Scott. The bag heads straight toward him aided by Phoenix. When it reaches him, Cyclops puts his hand into the sack and pulls out the contents. When it is revealed, he immediately drops it, and all the X-men gaze upon it.  
  
The sack held a severed head, but not just any head, the head of Mr. Sinister, it was the only part of him that had survived the explosion, and its features are twisted in a grimace of pain, that his victims have always shared. Scott barely gets the words out, because he is so nautious, AI gue...guess th...that's proof, Gambit.@ Cyclops is sure he hears a chuckle escape the Cajun. ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Cyclops' P.O.V.  
  
Cyclops had a tough decision to make. Whether or not to allow the Cajun to enter the mansion. Jean was able to exert a telepathic connection with each member of the X-men, it was almost like a conference call right there on the grounds. Cyke was able to make a quick choice with everyone's input, without the Cajun affecting the outcome..........  
  
Cyclops: Okay, X-men, we have a decision to make, whether or not to let Remy into the mansion, once there, he will tell us what he needs help with, and then we'll decide whether or not to help him, so make your calls now.  
  
Storm: As always I am supportive of Gambit, and he would not have come to us if he didn't need our help badly, I am for him entering the, mansion.  
  
Beast: I do not know the true reason that Gambit is here, but judging by his injuries which seem to have come from extreme exposure to the cold. Gambit has lost quite a bit of himself, and he has forgiven the X-men enough to ask for our help, therefore, I say let him in.  
  
Iceman: I say once a traitor, always a traitor. Haul him out on his butt, it's probably a trap.  
  
Archangel: Gambit deserves to die a hundred more deaths for what he did to the Morlocks and my wings. I say he'll be lucky to leave at all, at one time I felt we had something in common, but after that transmission, it's obvious how easy it would be for him to switch sides  
  
Phoenix: As usual Gambit has kept his mind closed, but I have noticed that his shields are stronger. It seems Gambit trusts us less than we trust him. And yet I can't shake this feeling, that if he felt it was important enough to risk coming hear, he must have an important cause, let him in.  
  
Cannonball: Ah don't know that much about Mistah Gambit. But Ah believe that everyone deserves another chance, and he hasn't bothered us for quite some time, so Ah say let him in.  
  
Rogue: Damn, your hard to kill, ya swamp rat. Ah thought that I got rid of you. For once, ah'm happy without ya Cajun so why don't ya just leave now.  
  
Joseph: I for once disagree with my love. I believe that anyone should receive a chance, especially someone who has,a bad past. I for one would like to hear the Cajun's story, let him in.  
  
Marrow: Gambit will, die for what he has done  
  
Bishop: Xavier has been proven as the traitor, therefore, Gambit is no longer the threat he used to be I will let him in. We have been friends in the past, and future.  
  
Logan: The Cajun's never betrayed us before, I say we leave his past out of this, let him in.  
  
Psylocke: I see no reason to trust Gambit. He has not proved anything at all to us. In fact the head could be a well fabricated fake, and he could be working for Sinister.  
  
Finally, Cyclops speaks AWe don't know what Gambit wants, who he works for, or anything that is going on. For that matter he could still hold a grudge against Rogue and the other X-men. I say he is too much of a security risk, leave him out.@ Out loud Cyke comments.  
  
Cyclops: Even with my opinion the final count is 7 for, 6 against, so Gambit can come in.  
  
Gambit: Tanks, Cyke, but I'll come in after de X-men, you can watch me if you want.  
  
Cyclops: Why?  
  
Gambit: Cause my lungs got damaged in the arctic, an' I can't move fast wit out a coughing fit.  
  
Cyclops: Okay  
  
As Gambit slowly enters the mansion, he finds the others waiting for him. The first question asked to him is what happened to his face. They are all seated and waiting for him in the main room, as he enters he begins to explain.  
  
End Part V 


	7. The Quest pt VI

Part VI  
  
Gambit: While I was tracking the Marauders, in the Everglades, I fought some sort of creature, in a black suit, he seemed to know what happened in de Morlock tunnels, we fought, an he slashed me across, de face, I lost all de vision in my right eye, dat's why I wear a patch. De reason I don' use my left hand is cause it los most of de motions it used to be able to do, also my lungs are now very fragile cause dey were exposed to dem sub-arctic temperatures. Any oder questions?  
  
Cyclops: Yeah what was that about Sinister being your father?  
  
Gambit: Well technically he is, see while he is not what you call a 'real' fader, in any sense of de word, he was my biological, fader, an' he raised me from a test tube.  
  
Archangel: So all that time that you were with us he could have controlled, you after all, you his son!  
  
Gambit: You not very smart you know Angel, you tink I'm proud to have a fader like Sinister, I'm not like you my dad didn't leave me millions and millions of dollars, I threw me out on de street when I was 4, if he controlled me I wouldn't have killed him.  
  
Iceman: How do we know it's Sinister?  
  
Gambit: You don' believe me, ask Hank to do a DNA test.  
  
With that comment Beast takes the severed head and disappears into his lab  
  
Wolverine: Okay Cajun so whad-dya want?  
  
Gambit: Before I killed Sinister, he tol' me dat Genesis, Apocalypse's protege, was alive. An' if I don' do anyting den, de world might fall in de balance  
  
Cyclops: What proof, do you have of this?  
  
Gambit: Right now, I don' got any information, but I know, dat Genesis, be alive, an' if we don' stop him den it gonna be trouble for us all  
  
Archangel: If you ask me it looks like a trap, this is too mysterious, think about it. Gambit here, shows up after nearly two years, asking for our help, with no proof, and only his word. Yeah right! Like anyone's going to trust a thief, murderer, and traitor. Well if we do help this piece of trash, I wont have any part of it.  
  
Gambit: Angel, what is your problem, what did I do to you hehn? I know dat I led de Marauders to de tunnels, but what makes you tink, dat dey wouldn't have found de entrance if I wasn't dere? You just lettin dey fact dat you lost your white wings and had to get Apocalypse's ones. I tought dat you would be one of de ones who would want to stop Genesis, seeing as how dere, family. But I guess you still be an immature, playboy who can' get no where, in life wit out, somethin to h'ate.  
  
The anger was visible on Archangel's face at this comment. His rage barely keeps is deadly biometallic wings in check. A single twitch was all he needed to let loose with a barrage of flechets, but he doesn't get the chance. Because Jean steps in at that moment with some questions on her own.  
  
Phoenix: Remy how come, you killed Sinister, I remember that when you were with the X-men, you never killed a single person. You were never a murderer Remy, why start?  
  
Gambit: (chuckling) I tought, you h'ated Sinister, more dan anyone mon amie? But I guess I'll explain my actions non? You see when a certain someone, left me to die. A par' of my soul died too. At dat moment, all de tings dat I had done to redeem myself, died. De only ting dat kept me from returning to de man dat I was, were de X-men. When I found out dat I wasn't wanted, I figured I'd go after de people who started it all, de Marauders. I planned to die wit dem, but every time I kill one of dem another one showed up, so I kept killin dem. For almost one year, I followed Sinister, an' killed, his Marauders. I killed dem so many times dat I los' track of it, and eventually, I didn't tink about it. So I decided to go to Sinister and end it all dere. But den he tol' me bout Genesis, an' since then I've had to stay here. Just in case dat Genesis reappears, cause of my killin' Sinister.  
  
Upon hearing of the demise of the Marauders, Marrow emerges from the shadows. She approaches Gambit and asks him:  
  
Marrow: Did you really risk your life and kill all the Marauders just to prove yourself to the X-men!?!! Why? I wouldn't have done anything like that if they kicked me out. Why you do it, when its so obvious that most of them don't want you hear?  
  
Gambit: Petite, dun' doubt for a second, bout what you got here. You got two options, you c'n distance yourself from dem, so dat if dey kick you out you won' miss dem. Or you can join dere family and become friends wit dem, so dat dey don' dump you somewhere. It could appen when dey realize yer past as dark as night.  
  
My problem, was dat, I tried to do de first option, but it slowly turned to de second, an' I couldn't let go, when I realized, dey didn't want a murderer, livin wit dem.  
  
Gambit's red eyes pierce to the very soul of Marrow, and for the first time she realizes how lucky she is. All of the X-men listening intently to Remy's words, and understand at that moment, how wrongfully Remy had been treated. He hadn't let them in to his world, because he had known that they would react that way. Them the noble X-men who are supposed to be so compassionate. Marrow is the first to speak.  
  
Marrow: I always thought that you upworlders never understood what it was like to lose something that you hold dearly to yourself, and I hated you for it. The pretties would walk around as if everything in the world was great, but when they saw one of us they would pretend that we wouldn't exist. Then they could stay in their pretty world. But you're different, you never recovered from what you did. You lost everything, and you still haven't forgiven yourself have you?  
  
Gambit: Non, cherie you got it wrong, Gambit did it all, and he got revenge for what he did, he killed everyone, and now maybe you feel safe non?  
  
Marrow: When I think of what you did to me, it makes me sick. And until you died I didn't think I would ever truly feel safe. But if it makes you feel better, I forgive you. You have done what I wanted too but couldn't.  
  
Gambit: Tank you petite, tank you.  
  
There is a silence in the room, for a period, and then a single solitary, voice, speaks up.  
  
End Part VI 


	8. The Quest pt VII

Part VII  
  
Cyclops: Gambit I want to hold a vote to decide whether to help you, as it is a team effort. But I would prefer it if you weren't present to influence anyone, Bishop? Please escort Remy to the other room and keep an eye on him. If anything happens, immediately summon us. Gambit leaves the room, followed closely by Bishop.  
  
Cyclops: Okay people, we have a decision to make and bear in mind that this could very well affect the world, is everyone here?  
  
Iceman: No, wait a second. Where's Beast?  
  
At that moment, Beast comes bounding up the stairs from his laboratory, with a piece of paper in his hand.  
  
Beast: Hello all! I have taken the liberty to verify the DNA of the head which was brought to us by our Cajun friend. Now bear in mind that there are several variables in this test. One of which is that I have never obtained a sample of Sinister's blood, and another being the level of technology present in our mansion now. Now then we must also take into consideration the........  
  
Rogue: Umm, Hank do ya think that, ya could get to tha point already!!??!  
  
Beast: Ahh...yes of course, the results show that this is indeed, Sinister's head in a sack  
  
Phoenix: Okay we can start the vote now, we'll simply go around until everyone's voted, okay? Oh and could someone get Bishop's vote please? Thanks Betsy.  
  
They proceed to vote, and the final count is: Angel, Jean, Iceman, Cyclops, Bishop, Psylocke, Rogue, and Joseph against. Beast, Wolverine, Storm, Marrow, and Cannonball, for.  
  
Cyclops: So it ends up that Gambit will need help from somewhere else. "Bishop bring Gambit in now please."  
  
Gambit walks in smoothly, as if he's just going to get the mail, and stands to face the X-men's verdict.  
  
Cyclops: I'm sorry Gambit, but with no proof of Genesis's existence, and us being the only heroes left, we can't just go off gallivanting on some wild goose chase. You'll have to find someone else to this.  
  
To everyone's surprise, Gambit, immediately turns around without responding to the comment. He immediately leaps forward at a potted plant. All the X- men look at Gambit, it's clear that he's gone over the edge. He grabs the plant and holds it in a tight grip, he seems to have a problem holding onto it. The X-men are staring at him with shocked expressions.  
  
Storm: Gambit, my friend are you feeling alright? Perhaps you would like to rest a bit.  
  
Gambit completely ignores her, instead he seems to be talking to the plant.  
  
Gambit: So you were here all de time den, I should a known dat you would follow, me, you tink dis is a joke don' you?, well you're in for a surprise mon ami  
  
Bobby: He's gone fruit loops!  
  
The potted plant begins to change, slowly it transforms into an like image of Gambit. They begin to battle, Gambit has superior powers and skills, but Tyler continues to fool him using holograms. Knowing that the X-men are going to try and fire on him, Genesis changes the view of the X-men so that they see Gambit as Genesis, and vis versa. They promptly fire at Gambit who doesn't expect it and is knocked out. With Gambit unconscious, his power continues to spread through the mansion, charging it. The X-men manage to take cover before the entire complex collapses.  
  
Genesis starts laughing still in his fake gambit hologram. He starts laughing louder and keeps roaring, howling, like a maniac. But as he's laughing, the laugh slowly starts to change. It becomes deeper, and more cynical. And that's not all that's changing, Gambit's body slowly starts to melt away, becoming more muscular, his hair changing to blond, and going down in height. Finally the laughing stops, and standing there is none other than Genesis.  
  
End Part VII 


	9. The Quest pt VIII

Part VIII  
  
Genesis' P.O.V.  
*How gullible these X-men seem to be* thought Genesis, as he climbed out from the wreckage of the mansion. *I find it hard to believe that they saved the world several times if they are dumb enough to allow me to enter their domain. It's a shame though I had really hoped to lead them on a wild goose chase as Gambit tried to capture me, and lead them into a trap. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to slaughter them here.*  
  
Genesis, continues to move forward through the rubble of the mansion, looking for survivors. He immediately sees a small group of X-men who had some how made it out. He sighed, it was always so hard to kill heroes, they never did die properly. Standing in front of him were Rogue, Joseph, Cannonball, Phoenix, a battered Cyclops, and a person whom he couldn't recognize, but she seemed to be of Spanish descent. Genesis realized while he could probably take them all on and still win, it would be better for him to take the easy way out.  
  
Making his way through the concrete, Genesis finds an unconscious Marrow. He grabs her and holds her in front of himself, a hostage. ASurrender now X- men, and the girl will be spared, you have 5 seconds to reply.@ Cursing can be heard from the X-men, all of it directed at him. This amuses Genesis, *it will be fun breaking them* he thinks. In a silent agreement the X-men drop whatever defences they were holding up. Genesis smiles, as his dark riders come forward from there horses and begin to beat the X-men. Their attacks are merciless. Tyler is content to watch the riders pummelling the X-men. Constantly holding on to Marrow as a reminder as they bludgeons the X-men. The heroes simply stand there witnessing the others, horrified, at the bloody bleeding pulps that he leaves in his wake. The X-men do not respond to pain, their training has prepared them for such treatment. But eventually one of them slips and their screams fall on deaf ears and echo in the night. Genesis chuckles.  
  
End Part VIII 


	10. The Quest pt IX

Part IX  
  
Remy's P.O.V.  
  
Remy woke up in an alleyway with a pounding headache. He couldn't remember what had happened. All he remembered from the day, was that he was preparing to confront the X-men after 6 months of preparation. They were his last hope. He could recall bits and pieces of a dream he had where he had visited the X-men, and they had turned him out. He also felt as if something had happened, something important and he just couldn't remember. Remy shrugged it off as some sort of side effect to the temperatures he had endured. The doctors had told him that he would have bizarre affects to his powers and body as a result. Not to mention the loss of use of his left hand and the loss of vision in his right eye.  
  
Gambit tried to make his way out of the alley way, but couldn't. He seemed to be underground, but every exit that went upward was cover in rubble. He headed towards the general direction of the mansion, and could hear some sort of calling to him from where he was telepathically. He paused for a second, considering his options. He could blow out the debris with his powers, but considering the way it was positioned, it could bring down all the rubble around him. He decided to charge the rubble until all of it's bonds simply broke down, with the boost his powers had now it would be easy. To Gambit's surprise nothing happened. Never had his powers ever had a problem working until now. In fact he still had problems controlling it. But now nothing was happening, it was almost as if his powers had been drained. Then he remembered it. *I destroyed de house.*, he had charged it so it collapsed on itself.  
  
He was in trouble. Knowing the X-men wouldn't be helping him, he would have to assemble the 4. He didn't want to tamper with something so powerful because he didn't know the consequences. *It would be a gamble* Gambit grinned. That seemed to be all he lived for these days, but till then he would have to escape from here. Slowly Gambit headed in the direction he heard the telepathic callings from.  
  
After he caught Genesis, his debt would be payed and he could finally end his misery. After heavily weighing his options, Gambit had decided to go to the X-men first. After-all they DID decide to not trust him but he could always still call in the favours. The only problem was that if the X-men decided he was a threat, he'd be in more trouble than ever. Resolute with his decision and feeling slightly better, Gambit headed off toward the calling in the mansion.  
  
Upon arriving at the other end of the mansion, Gambit found an exit that had been recently dug up. Remy was horrified to see that the mansion had been decimated. The entire complex had been ripped apart, and the bloodied bodies of the X-men were gathered like play dolls. *He must have found out about my plan and got to them first. Damn.* thought Remy, swearing under his breathe, AMerde.@ Slowly he made his way forward identifying the bodies of the X-men, they weren't all here, but he looked at the rubble and shuddered to think about what had happened to the rest, *It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault* his mind kept repeating, to itself. If he hadn't been followed, Genesis, wouldn't have done this and this wouldn't have happened. Remy couldn't take it. His entire life had been filled with pain and tragedy. And yet he had never, felt as alone as he did now. His family....his life had been ripped away from him.  
  
Gambit could feel the rage wash over him in waves, he would murder Genesis for this, he would kill him. He would string him up and then feed him to sharks, he would; burn, slash, scald, boil, bury, and torture, Genesis before he killed him. But Gambit realized that he didn't have the energy to do anything like that to Genesis. He didn't really care what happened to the world right now. All he cared about was what he would do without the X-men. Remy had hated the X-men for what Rogue had done to him in Antarctica, but it was his hatred that kept him going. Gambit never wanted revenge on the X-men but he had got it, and now he would rest with his teammates. Let himself go to the death that he had constantly dodged.  
  
Gambit: What's de point 'o' savin' da world, if I dun' have anyone ta save it fer!!!  
  
Gambit's reverie, was broken, by a gruff, voice, from behind him that said  
  
Voice: Hey Gumbo. Don't get all sappy yet, we gotta find the bastard who did this and kick his ass.  
  
Gambit: Logan, mon ami is dat you?  
  
The voice is revealed as a battered Logan and a shaken Sam Gunthrie, standing with him.  
  
Logan: Yep, the ass-hole who did this is still out their, and I'm gonna tear his guts out for what he did.  
  
Gambit: You may not have to Logan, now dat I know dat you're h'ere. I can save de X-men.  
  
Logan: You go crazy or something Cajun? He slaughtered all the X-men, one by one, we're the only ones left.  
  
Upon saying this Logan's eyes glint suspiciously, "Do you know what happened here Gumbo?" he asks dangerously,  
  
Gambit: I tink I do, but I'm not sure. I woke up in an alley under de mansion wit a pounding headache, and a memory of a strange dream where I visited you. Why? What happened?  
  
Logan: You showed up here asking for help against Genesis. We refused, and you turned to a plant it turns out it was him. I knew I smelt somethin' different in the mansion. But since I hadn't seen you, I didn't know how you're scent changed.  
  
Gambit: Anyway, let's forget about that for now,  
  
Logan: Whad'dya mean forget about that?  
  
Gambit: I mean , let's concentrate on saving de, X-men  
  
Logan: Cajun, ain't ya been listening to a word I been sayin'........their all dead.  
  
Gambit: Maybe not. I tink I know a way to save dem.  
  
Logan: And how's that? divine intervention? Get real Gumbo, there gone, all that's left for us is revenge. We'll get him, and gut 'em from ear ta ear.  
  
Gambit looks directly at Logan, his red eyes glowing with amusement.  
  
Gambit: We save dem wit de elixir 'o' life  
  
Logan: What're you kidding kid, how you plan to get that from Candra?  
  
Gambit: D'you know what de elixir 'o' life is made of?  
  
Logan: Do I want ta?  
  
Gambit: Durin de Weapon X project, de professor was really interested in your blood. He claimed it could keep ya young for years an' years. Candra was interested in dis, cause she couldn't find any thing ta bribe de Guilds wit. But ta make someone immortal was a huge boon. So she bought it from de professor. Before dat, none of de elixir's worked.  
  
Logan: Do ya mean ta tell me that your Thieve's Guild, has been stayin' young with my blood? That's a good story Gumbo. Except my blood doesn't stay in your system, and how did ya find out about this any how?  
  
Gambit: (smiling inwardly) I always wondered what de elixir did ta ya, but I wasn't sure. So I hacked inta Candra's computer, and read up on it. She one bad girl. It turns out dat she couldn't keep your blood in de person's system. So she made a deal wit Sinister, and when his blood an' your blood were mixed togeder, it made de elixir. Weird non?  
  
Sam who has remained quiet for all this time has been taking all of this in, and now breaks into the conversation.  
  
Cannonball: Do y'all mean that we can save tha, X-men?  
  
Gambit: Yeah! Only dere be one slight problem.  
  
Logan: (growling) I knew there was a catch, what is it Cajun?  
  
Gambit: Sinister be dead.  
  
Logan: We know, you showed us his head. Gambit: Merde! You mean you know dat Gambit now be a killer.  
  
Logan: It makes no difference to me kid, those guys deserved to die, but the others may not agree  
  
Gambit: Anyway, Gambit will h'elp de X-men, but on one condition.  
  
Logan: (eyes narrowing) What's that?  
  
Gambit: When Gambit goes after Genesis. Logan comes, along.  
  
Logan: (grinning ferally) That's it? Sure, I was going after him anyhow.  
  
Cannonball: I don't mean ta rush you guys, but d'ya think we could get started, they ain't getting any better.  
  
Gambit and Wolverine both nod and start, preparing to draw blood.  
  
Gambit: Sam we gonna need your blood too. Since I ain't fully Sinister, de DNA may be different. So I need you to draw.  
  
Cannonball: How will it help?  
  
Gambit: Sinister was immortal, his blood stabilised Logan's blood so it stayed in the system for a few years. I ain't immortal, de blood may not have de exact same effect, so we gonna use your External blood. Comprendez-vous?  
  
Cannonball: Yah I think so.  
  
The remaining X-men don't have very much time so they work quickly. Cannonball, flies off in search of the proper medical supplies, while Gambit and Wolverine gather the bloodied X-men. They take them under the mansion, the only place that's survived. Their conditions are critical, to say the least. It is obvious Genesis did not use his powers, but rather took pleasure in beating the X-men senseless. Most of them are suffering from massive concussions, fractures, and internal bleeding. Their limbs hanging limply, in positions that indicate they are broken. The more Wolverine sees, the more his berserker rage grows. Gambit continues to sink further into his despair. That this is all his fault, but for the sake of the team he keeps up his poker face.  
  
Cannonball, returns almost as quickly as he left. His voyage took him into a local hospital. As much as he disliked it, he was forced to steal the supplies from the hospital, not having time to convince them that he had a serious problem. He sees Logan and Gambit, arranging the bodies; they all look so pale and bloody. It takes all of Sam's self control to keep from blast away at that moment.  
  
"Sam hurry up," Logan growls, "we're ready."  
  
"Okay sir," responds Sam, "let's get this ovah with."  
  
Saying this Sam puts the needle, into Logan and draws up several quarts of blood. He then goes to Remy and again draws up several quarts of blood. Finally, Logan approaches him and draws up the same amount of blood from Sam. They take all three different bags of blood, and mix them together. The blood begins to change colour, first it turns maroon, then black, followed by purple, then blue, and finally a bluish green.  
  
"I've nevah seen blood turn that colah sir" exclaims Sam.  
  
"Dat's cause you never mixed it wit Sinister's blood, I don' know what he's made of but his blood sure is funny non?" replies Gambit.  
  
"Quit yer yacking and get to work" grunts Logan. Together, they take the mixed blood, and pass it to the mouths of each of the X-men. Their recoveries are almost instantaneous: the colour rushes back into their skin, their wounds begin to heal up, and they slowly begin their journey to consciousness. As they begin to wake up, loud moans, and groans can be heard from all of them. Iceman says "That's the last time I drink Koolaid before going to bed," after a couple of minutes everyone is on the road to recovery.  
  
"Thanks Cajun, couldn't have done it without ya," Wolverine comments,  
  
"No problem, mon ami, but don' forget, when I go to find Genesis you be coming wit me non?" questions Gambit  
  
"Sure thing Gumbo, just tell me where and when" answers Logan.  
  
"In about a week or so."  
  
With that response, Gambit turns to leave while the X-men regain their footing. He didn't think it would be such a good idea to stop by when they woke up. They may not be so happy to see him. Before he can completely melt into the shadows, he hears a voice shout out "YOU!!!!"  
  
Gambit has just enough time to turn around and identify the speaker as Cyclops, before a red beam of energy slams into his chest, and drives him into a tree. Then everything fades into a blissful blackness.  
  
End Part IX  
  
So the X-men are safe, but what about Gambit? And what will happen with Genesis? Now that the X-men have refused to help Gambit, looks like he's on his own. And yet he's made a secret pact with Wolverine. What could he be thinking? All these questions and more will be answered in the next Arc of the New Five Fold, entitled 'The Formation'. Please review this story for me. 


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